There are many reasons why you may have to perform a program’s removal from time to time. Some applications may not work properly, or you may simply want to uninstall some oudated programs in order to free up some extra space for your hard disk.
Windows includes a number of straightforward choices for uninstalling programs, and we will look at those here. But some programs can be a little trickly to fully remove properly, so I have also chosen some useful tools that you can download to help you out as well.
1. Use System Restore
Before installing any new software, you can use System Restore to create a new ‘restore point’. If anything subsequently goes wrong with your PC you can use System Restore to turn your PC to the state it was in before you installed that new program.
2. Check Your Control Panel
When you install any new program onto your PC, that program is added to a list that you can see in the Windows Control Panel. Find the one you wish to remove, then double-click it to uninstall it from your PC.
3. Searching For Files
If you are using Windows 8, open Charms bar by moving your mouse to the top-right corner of the screen. Click on the Search button and then type in the name of the program you wish to remove. If the program shows up in the search list, you can right-click on it and you will see a menu with an Uninstall command that you can use.
4. Windows 8 Uninstall
Windows 8 displays programs as a series of retangular ’tiles’ on the Start screen, and you can just right-click on a program’s tile to display a special toolbar at the bottom of the screen. This toolbar includes an option for uninstalling the program, as well as showing the location of the file on your hard disk, so that you can see if it has its own uninstaller program or help files.
5. Reinstall To Uninstall
If non of those options works, then believe it or not, reinstalling the program might do the trick.
6. Microsoft Office
You can directly run the Troubleshooter from Microsoft’s website (support.microsoft.com/kb/290301) and the website also has additional hints and tips on how to remove other types of programs.
7. Max Uninstaller
If you’re still having troubles, then there are a number of free software tools that can help you remove trouble some programs, A good general-purpose tool that works with most types is Max Uninstaller.
8. Modern Apps
Windows 8 introduced a new type of software that Microsoft refers to as ‘modern apps’, which are desgiend to take advatage of new technologies such as touch-sensitive screens,There are several modern aps included as part of Windows8, and they can take up a lot of space on your hard disk, so the latest version of Max Uninstaller also includes a special otpion specically designed for removing modern apps.
9. WIndows App Remover
Windows includes a tool named the Powershell, which allows you to delve more deeply into the system. It’s a bit complicated for beginners, but Microsoft provides a ‘script’ that can launch Powershell and help you to remove modern apps.
10. Security Software
Antivirus software and other types of security software can be quite difficult to remove as these programs are designed to resist attacks from viruses and other malware that might stop them from working properly. In that case, you can also try to use a cleaning tool to effectively remove them.